


something lonesome about you, something so wholesome about you

by Waistcoat35



Series: lay me down in sheets of linen, you've had a busy day today [1]
Category: Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey movie
Genre: Affection, Fluff, M/M, Napping, S o soft you don't even know, Thomas has some self-esteem issues methinks, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Train journeys, in case that's a problem, soft, this movie pushed me and stole my lunch money but the money was emotions and so was the pushing, thomas is tired, travelling, very vague mention of potentially underweight character??? like blink and you'll miss it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 06:16:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20773910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waistcoat35/pseuds/Waistcoat35
Summary: A country butler and a royal valet take the train back to London. Thomas takes a nap.





	something lonesome about you, something so wholesome about you

He had meant to be awake for the whole journey, he truly had - he didn't want to miss a minute of the time they had together. But he was so, _so_ tired. There had been more visitors for the last few days and thus far more than usual to prepare, resulting in more than the odd late night. To put the icing on the cake, he hadn't been sleeping well in the first place - if it wasn't nightmares it was his thoughts, racing onwards like an unfettered horse, unable to stop planning and deciding and worrying about the next day to come. It is a well-known fact that it is after midnight that the mind hates itself the most.

Nevertheless, he never meant to do it. He'd met Richard at the station and caught the train back to London. They'd spent a good while catching up, first facing one another from opposite seats in the otherwise-empty compartment and touching knee-to-knee, before Richard came and sat beside him to show him something in the newspaper. He could just as easily have turned it around and shown Thomas from the seat he had been in thus far, but he could scarcely believe his luck, and he wasn't about to ruin things now. He'd been craving closer contact with Richard since they'd last parted, and now they were pressed side-to-side on the cramped bench, a line of warmth connecting them and sinking into Thomas' chest. He hardly dared to move, lest it shift him too far away from the other and leave him without the courage to lean back in again. 

The warmth was a welcome refuge from the bitter October draft coming through the rattling window. Perhaps it was the warmth that had done it, soft and steady, or the touch itself - most likely it was Richard's voice as he read an amusing article aloud, a deep soothing lull that swam gentle laps through Thomas' head. Whatever it was, he was helpless to put up more than a token resistance as his eyes drifted shut quite without his permission. As a comfortable haze enveloped him and he felt able to rest for the first time in days, at peace for the first time in far longer, he focused on the warm weight next to him as he let go. 

* * *

Richard slowed and then stopped reading as he felt the slight pressure next to him increase somewhat suddenly. He shifted as best he could to glance down to his right, and his initial assumption was correct - Thomas was nodding off on him. It made for a rather sweet picture - his cheek was smushed awkwardly into Richard's shoulder, and the way he was twitching and shuffling slightly in his sleep indicated that he was unconsciously trying to nestle closer still. The one who was still waking allowed himself a charmed smile. Though it had been some months since they had - gotten together, as it were, Thomas was still guarded around even him, to a degree. It hadn't taken Richard long to figure out that he had been hurt a lot in the past, by so many people, and he could never hold it against the other butler for being so wary, so careful after such a great number of bad experiences with the world. The fact that Thomas apparently trusted him enough to fall asleep like this - on his shoulder, nonetheless - was made doubly touching with this knowledge. 

All the shifting about had elicited a small, indignant noise from the sleeping man, He had a feeling that this was going to work out rather well, and he had every intention of making sure Thomas continued to feel safe.

* * *

The first thing he noticed upon waking was the rocking of the train, back and forth in a swaying motion that, while initially lulling him, had begun to feel like it might make him seasick. The second was that his face was pressed against a very warm, rather comfortable surface, which after some contemplation revealed itself to be a shoulder. The third was that there were two things that had not been there when he first fell asleep - a coat draped over him and an arm around his back, keeping him propped up so he wouldn't slip off or get a neck ache. Out of all of these things, he had only anticipated the first one.

His breathing must have changed from the deep, even pattern brought on by sleep, because Richard - the owner of the shoulder, the arm and, presumably, the coat - turned his head slightly. It meant that his chin was almost nestled atop Thomas' head, and his heart rate picked up. "Had a good rest?" He made a sound that was halfway between a grunt and an _mmf_ and tried to struggle upright, but his limbs were still leaden with sleep and he sank back down again, admitting defeat and hearing a soft chuckle above him.

"Sorry, ah - 'msorry, didn't mean to do that, you should've-" the shoulder underneath him moved to make something like a shrugging moment.

"Don't be sorry. You don't ever need to be sorry for needing a rest, you old silly." 

"Not what I meant. Don't want me draping myself all over you. I must've been a dead weight."

Richard's mouth quirked upwards. "You certainly _slept_ like the dead. Can't say much about the weight, though - you could probably do with a bit more of it. I know you've been tiring yourself out up there, Thomas. Both that up there - " he nodded back to the way the train had come, "and _that_ up there," to which he pointed at Thomas' temple. "I noticed you'd drifted off earlier. I could see how tired you were when we met up - didn't mention it right away, I know how stubborn you can be with these things. No harm in getting comfortable and having a bit of a kip. Compartment's locked, blind's down. Couldn't do anything about the window, I'm afraid, hence the coat." He seemed to be slowly and methodically listing every reason why it was okay, without being patronising - and Thomas was surprised to feel that he more or less believed it. As he opened his mouth to reply, Richard checked the time on his watch. 

"It's just as well you woke up, though - looks like it won't be long until we're there. I don't know if I could have brought myself to wake you." Thomas gave a bemused huff, a slight sound and a puff of air against Richard's shoulder. Richard looked down. "You still look dead on your feet. How about we go straight to the hotel and grab something to eat there, then you can rest up a bit more?" Thomas shrugged, eyes fixed downwards.

"Doesn't sound like much fun for you. Wouldn't be wasting your money, would we?" Richard shook his head.

"I hadn't booked a table anywhere - thought I'd wait and see what you wanted to do. And what sounds like fun for me is you looking after yourself for a change, love. Or allowing me to, if you won't do it yourself." Thomas sighed. 

"Alright, alright, if you insist. But _only_ -" he summoned a glare that Richard didn't find a fraction as intimidating as it was likely intended to be, "if you're sure. And you don't have to hang about, it'll bore you. Go out for a bit yourself if you want." There it was again; the lingering hesitation, the thought that perhaps if Thomas were to prove to be too boring, not enough, too difficult to cooperate with - all nonsense, as Richard would have it - he'd be left in the dust to fend for himself again. They had better nip that thought in the bud. 

Richard shook his head, ruffled Thomas' hair lightly as he heaved himself up to get the suitcase down. "I'd far rather be wherever you are. That's what makes it fun." The other cleared his throat, busied himself with peeling the coat from over him and folding it carefully before draping it over his arm as he stood, still slightly wobbly after the nap, leaning lightly on a proffered arm as he steadied himself. When they faced one another Thomas was more or less composed, but there was a slight shadow of vulnerability in his eyes as the train came to a standstill. Richard unlatched the compartment door and held it open for him, and together they stepped out, ready to face the world once more after a few hours' respite.


End file.
